


Love & Loss

by viperscreed



Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, M/M, Shapeshifting, because of course, but i will be smudging details, heavily dnd/dragons keep inspired
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-24
Updated: 2018-02-28
Packaged: 2019-03-23 14:39:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,368
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13789836
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/viperscreed/pseuds/viperscreed
Summary: The Sanctuary Guild was given a simple task: Kill the sorcerer Handsome JackThey end up bringing home more then a victory and have to prepare for the backlash that is sure to come.





	1. Chapter 1

The smell of paint and wax filled the small room. Thin wisps of smoke surrounded Axton, disrupted when he took a deep breath. He dipped his palm into the red paint then pressed it to his bare chest. Once the print was set he added claws to the fingertips with his thumb.

The candles were burned halfway down their wicks by the time Axton finished painting himself. Cresent moons adorned his shoulders while several other markings were painted along his abdomen. The palms of his hands looked fresh from battle and he’d leave them to dry.

His armor came in several, heavy metal and leather pieces that clanged together as he put them on. Axton’s enemies wouldn’t see the paint but it wasn’t for them.

A matching pair of shortswords gleamed happily in the candlelight. Axton ran a loving hand down either of them leaving behind faint, ruddy marks behind before picking them up. They slid smoothly into their sheathes, a comforting weight on his hips.

“The battle won’t wait for ya!” A fist pounded on his door.

Axton rolled his eyes and put out his candles with the toughened pads of his fingers. He stretched his arms over his head letting out a deep breath as they came down, adrenaline starting to hit his system.

“Whose ready to do this?” He called out as he burst from his room. His question was met with a round of cheers.

Three of his guildmates, clad head to toe in their armor rallied around him. A dwarf, half-elf and a possibility Axton would rather not dwell on stood around him all with their shoulders set confidently.

“Is everyone stocked up, ammo, components?” Axton inquired looking around at his team.

“I have enough to last me five days.” Maya held up a small sack that smelt strongly of dry herbs.

“I don’t need ammo for these!” Salvador laughed heartily, the guns in his hands sparked with magic. Zer0 held up a thumbs up behind him, his face hidden by a sheer metal helmet but said nothing.

“Guess the only thing left to do is kick a tyrant sorcerer’s ass!”

 

<><><>

 

The Sanctuary Guild had been trailing the sorcerer Handsome Jack for several weeks trying to cut him off as he made his campaign across Pandora. A few nights ago the sorcerer had set up camp outside the fortified city of New Haven presumably getting ready to sack it.

Axton led his little pack through the sparse cover the craggy tundra around New Haven allowed. The sorcerer’s bright yellow banners waved starkly against the faded grass and stone. Orcs and skeletons could be seen beyond the camp walls; the sudden glow of magic was blinding and when it disappeared a building appeared.

“That’s not good.” Maya mused.

“It is impressive.” Axton replied, none of their magic users were capable of such feats.

“Looks like another thing to burn to me.” Salvador chuckled.

“Its not going to do that on its own.”

Axton stepped off the small outcropping, a tight wind wrapped around him and he hit the ground on four paws. His team followed after, Maya landed lightly on her wide paws while Salvador came down with a thud.

A breeze tried and failed to permeate Axton’s thick, sandy blond fur. The muscles beneath Maya’s bluish grey coat twitched in response to the chill, her fur much shorter then her comrades’. Salvador though thick and stocky didn’t have the exaggerated shoulder muscles of the Alphas beside him. And Zer0 in all his mystery had simply vanished.

The pack picked its way across the open ground splitting off once they reached the depression the camp was built in. Axton crouched down behind a tuft of dry grass, his belly brushing the cold ground. He gazed through one of the gaps in the wall and his brow furrowed.

Axton had been in a number of Jack’s abandoned camps to clear out the monster nests left behind. There were usually remnants of tents, burnt out fire places and a wake of destruction. But this camp was more organized with wizards walking around using their magic to erect buildings while orcs hauled around wood and stone.

He peered over at Maya who was hiding among a cluster of rocks. She looked back at him with a similar expression before crouching low and stalking toward the camp. Nothing good could come from Jack setting up a more permanent situation.

He lopped down to the wall of logs coming to stand at the side of the gap opposing Maya. On a closer look they could see that while many of the buildings were sloppy barracks there was a building at the center of the camp being constructed by several wizards that looked sturdy if not beautifully crafted.

The two slipped through the gap, Axton sneaked behind a stack of logs while Maya went elsewhere. He followed the scent of smoked meat and found himself crouched behind a group of orcs sitting around a small fire. There was a decent chance he could kill three before got reinforcements and his jowls pulled back over his teeth.

An explosion went off on the other side of camp, blue and green smoke pluming into the sky. The orcs suddenly stood and Axton dropped to his belly as they ran passed. He huffed out a sigh once they were gone and bolted to take cover behind a line of tents.

Axton was sure he knew who caused the explosion and he made full use of the chaos, risking being visible while moving toward the center building.

He was panting by the time he reached the porch. The second it took for him to shift back felt like a vulnerable century and once he had his hands again he grabbed his swords. Wood splintered as he Axton’s boot burst the door off its frame.

A ball of acid popped at his feet and he ducked into a roll over it. He cursed as he regained his footing, cursing as he felt drops of acid sizzling the tops of his boots.

The little basilisk writhed knocking over the basket next to it, the pink bow around its neck was limp and burnt. It opened its mouth, acidic foam bubbled out of the sides of its jaws.

Axton dropped one of his swords grabbing the hilt of the other with both of his fists. He pierced the beast through the face sealing its mouth shut as acid garbled from beneath its jowls.The basilisk lashed about before going still. Thick, green liquid spilled onto the floor when Axton pulled out his sword and sizzled through the wood floor.

Axton retrieved his sword and looked down at his boots to make sure the acid wasn’t still eating its way to his feet.

An explosion from up above shook the building. Axton raced up the stairs when the noises didn’t stop. The clash of metal and the flight of fire drew him upwards. The house’s frame trembled with every explosion and as he reached the second floor he could hear yelling, usually followed by the flare of magic.

A flash of yellow caught his attention. He skidded to a stop in front of an open door, inside was a bed and other beginnings of a luxurious bedroom.

A man stood frozen inside, metallic arm reaching out to the nightstand. The shirt he wore was intricately sewn, held shut with frog fasteners and his white trousers were immaculate. Around his neck was a simple gold band, a round diamond set in the front; it was a popular choice of wealthy Alphas for their Omegas down south.

“Hey there,” Axton flipped his swords so the blades were pointed to the floor. “If you can hold up her for a bit we can get you to safety.”

The Omega scoffed and he snatched a strange black cylinder off the nightstand. There was a click and a whir as metal met metal. Rods extended from either side then lit up with electricity.

“I don’t need saving soldier.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: For anyone not familiar with DnD who might be curious about the guns, Salvador is an Artificer :D
> 
> I hope you all like this! Please leave feedback I love hearing from you guys!


	2. Chapter 2

Axton barely got his blades up before the Omega closed the distance. The crackling quarterstaff left a wave of heat in its wake, Axton stumbled out of the way. A second swing came for him and he knocked it back with his blade, electricity arched from the quarterstaff and scorched the sword. Leather protected Axton’s hand but he could feel a searing heat building in the metal.

He took several steps away from the Omega. The other expertly swirled the quarterstaff in front of himself with no fear of the unstable energy he wielded. His flesh hand was carefully tucked behind his back.

Axton squared up his shoulders and rushed the Omega. Coolly the other swiped at him with his quarterstaff but Axton sent it flying back with a strike of his blade, the Omega’s eyes went wide as Axton thrust forward with his other blade. The blade caught the Omega’s arm, splitting his sleeve and drawing blood; a vicious snarl escaped the Omega’s lips.

His hand uncurled from behind his back, his fist smacking into Axton’s wrist knocking the blade away from him. The quarterstaff hummed, the edges of the rods turning blue as more lightening was poured into them. The air between them warped as the quarterstaff passed between them, Axton cursed moving back. The skin on his hands was turning red and his face felt like it was burning.

The Omega jerked the quarterstaff forward thwacking Axton in the chest. Lightening coursed through the metal plate, it felt like a thousand sun forged spikes were piercing his chest. Even his bones trembled as he staggered back from the Omega, his breaths coming out as ragged growls.

The two locked eyes, each raging with dark determination.

The wood above them cracked, support beams snapped showering them in splinters. Axton threw himself into the Omega’s chest knocking both of them out of the way. The quarterstaff fizzled out as it clattered to the floor.

Axton coughed, sitting up as the debris settled. The Omega groaned propping himself up on his elbow.

Zer0’s helmet shimmered in the light that was suddenly pouring in through the ceiling. His arm jerked back forcibly, dislodging his sword from the chest of Handsome Jack.

“No!” The Omega shrieked and scrambled forward to press his palms against the flood of blood. He pleaded in a language Axton didn’t recognize between sobs but Jack’s corpse was still.

Axton watched the scene, a sickening knot forming in his chest. Enemy or not, grief was a terrible thing to witness.

“What should we do?” Zer0’s voice was a low, strange his but Axton could hear the lack of emotion in it.

“We have a dungeon back home for a reason,” Axton nodded to the quarterstaff on the floor. “Take his weapon will ya?”

The rogue said nothing, simply picked the quarterstaff up and pressed something that caused the ends to retract. He stood by ready to help if the Omega lashed out.

“I don’t want to force you out of here.” Axton stated giving the Omega a wide berth.

The other man’s cries had quieted and he took a deep shuddering breath. Mismatched eyes, cold and steely glowered at the fighter. It took several minutes to gather his words.

“Burn the house down when we go and I won’t fight.” He replied without so much as a tremor.

“Burn it down?” Axton’s brow pinched in confusion as he met the Omega’s eyes.

“He can’t be buried and I’d rather his body be lost then desecrated.” He explained.

“That can be arranged.” Axton didn’t care if his employer wanted to see the corpse, half of his team still needed to be accounted for.

The Omega’s eyes and shoulders softened. He leaned down and pressed a chaste kiss to Jack’s cold lips, whispering something in that harsh, unknown language. Defeated and resigned the Omega allowed his hands to be tied. The edges of his eyes were red and his cheeks were wet but his expression was cold.

 

Outside they found themselves surrounded by fire, tents struggled to stand with only their posts and buildings were starting to crumble where explosions had blasted out the supports. Bones were scattered across the ground with corpses, people were shouting in the distance but there was no sign of any of Jack’s goons. The Omega surveyed the destruction, breathing in sharply but his eyes gave away nothing.

Axton stepped down from the porch and cupped his hands around his mouth before letting out a long, reverberating howl. A pair of paws came thundering through the camp as his howl came to its end. Salvador’s black fur was matted with mud and blood but irony scent of his guns overpowered anything in his pelt. Maya’s pelt was similarly streaked with blood and ash. Even at a distance Axton could see her grey eyes flicker to the Omega. They slowed to a trot as they shifted.

“Whose this?” Maya gestured to the Omega who met her gaze evenly.

“You gotta name?” Axton inquired. Never in all the time they had he heard about Jack having an Omega.

“My name isn’t for you to use.” He snapped, flashing his long canine teeth.

“He appears to be Jack’s mate.” Zer0 provided. Maya’a eyes widened.

“And we’re taking him back with us?” She asked incredulously.

“Can’t exactly leave him here and let him get up to vengeance.” Maya didn’t look impressed with his reasoning.

“This is going to go over great back at the base.” Her words dripped with sarcasm.

“And I can deal with it when we get back but first can you burn this place down, I want this whole place razed to the ground.” Axton requested.

Maya nodded and stepped closer to the center building, holding up her hands and muttering under her breath. Flames flew from her palms and quickly engulfed the the wood, spreading to the sides and up toward the roof. The Omega watched his home burn, a hopelessness filling his eyes but he didn’t let anymore tears fall.

Axton gently guided him away once they were sure the sure nothing in the building would survive the flames.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Rhys is gonna be real stingy with his name for awhile I'm not gonna lie smh
> 
> I hope you enjoyed! Please leave kudos or a comment if you did!


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